Brazil to import electricity from Argentina, Uruguay

SAO PAULO, March 26 (Reuters) - Brazil will import
electricity from Argentina and Uruguay this year, the government
said in its official gazette on Thursday, the latest step to
fend off energy rationing as reservoirs of local hydroelectrical
plants remain at very low levels.

The imports will be "exceptional" and "temporary," according
to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which set the rules for the
purchase of electricity from the neighboring countries.

State-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras,
will be responsible for the imports from Argentina. Centrais
Eletricas Brasileiras SA, the government-run company
known as Eletrobras, will handle imports from Uruguay.

With reservoirs nearly depleted following a three-year
drought, Brazil had to resort to an expensive network of thermal
power plants to secure electricity supplies lately. Energy
rationing is still a possibility, although the situation has
improved a bit after strong rains since February.
(Reporting by Priscila Jordao; Writing by Silvio Cascione;
Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)